Málaga 2 - Oviedo 2

Málaga: Contreras; Larrainzar, Fernando Sanz, Bravo, Roteta (Canabal 75'); Rufete, Sandro (Zárate 68'), Movilla (Musampa 68'), Agostinho; Darío Silva, Dely Valdés. 4-4-2.
Oviedo: Esteban; Gaspar, Danjou, Boris, Rabarivony; Amieva (Jaime 73'), Onopko; Paunovic, Tomic (Raúl 90'), Iván Ania; Juanchi González (Geni 65'). 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Málaga: Darío Silva for Canabal / Oviedo: Onopko, Juanchi González for Martinovic, Oli.

Goals:
0-1. 24. Juanchi González. Volleyed past keeper after centre by Iván Ania.
1-1. 26. Darío Silva. Headed over advancing keeper after cross from Sandro.
2-1. 84. Canabal. Controlled pass from Larrainzar and beat keeper.
2-2. 85. Paunovic. Took pass from Jaime to shoot past Contreras.

A late equaliser from Oviedo's Paunovic deprived Málaga of the three points and complicated their struggle to finish high enough in the league to qualify for European football next year. The home side thought they had done enough when second half substitute Canabal beat the offside trap to run through and blast the ball over Esteban with six minutes to go, with the Oviedo defenders hesitating as Dely Valdés walked back from an offside position without interfering with play. After the customary protests which earned Oviedo a fistful of yellow cards from referee Pérez Burrull, they picked themselves up and charged down the other end to level the scores before the home fans had finished celebrating Canabal's goal.

Earlier in the game Oviedo had taken the lead through Juanchi González, who was making his first start of the season due to the one match suspension to first choice striker Oli. Málaga felt hard done by, especially as Sandro had hit the post with a shot from outside of the area in the opening minutes, but they equalised quickly through Darío Silva, back in the side after his one match ban. Early in the second half Juanchi had to leave the field in agony with a serious knee injury which could keep him out for several months, young B team striker Geni taking his place, and Joaquín Peiró responded bringing on more attacking players Zárate and Musampa, and then Canabal as a third forward.

If anything though Oviedo were the better side, and after Paunovic scored his first goal for his new team, the Yugoslavian ran towards the manager's bench to embrace Radomir Antic. It was a significant gesture after Antic had been critical of players and management all week, and signified a burying of the hatchet and a pooling of efforts to try and get the club out of their difficult position in the league. They are currently lying in sixteenth place, only two points above the relegation places, and with the clubs below them starting to win games they are in danger of being dragged down. Málaga left the field disappointed, but the point keeps them only two points behind sixth placed Celta, in a group of five teams fighting for the last UEFA spot. If they don't make it they could still go for one of the two Intertoto cup places, having just missed out last year to Celta and Mallorca.